A Crown jewel: Crown Towers Perth

Katie Milton spends a luxurious weekend at the Crown Towers Perth ahead of its opening weekend.

Crown Towers Perth gleams with newness. It reflects off the marble and travertine stone floors and shimmers in the custom-made chandeliers suspended from the seven-metre high ceilings in the lobby. It is articulated in the opulent Chairman’s Villa, which costs a cool $25,000 a night and offers four bedrooms, its own gym and massage room and a spectacular staircase chandelier. The grandeur is reinforced in The Waiting Room, a slick Mid-century modern bar outfitted with quirky camel printed chairs, peacock cushions and frog footed lamps. There’s an excitement in the air; I could see it in the faces of the enthusiastic young staff.

Two years in the making, the $650-million hotel – the most expensive hotel ever built in Australia – is located just outside the city centre on the banks of the Swan River. Its completion signals the arrival of ultra-luxury to the existing Crown complex, already home to the five-star Crown Metropol and four-star Crown Promenade.

From the lobby’s 6000-piece ceramic wall sculpture by Margaret River artist Ian Dowling, to the 20,000-bead willowlamp chandelier created by South African architect Adam Hoets that hangs in The Waiting Room bar, the sophistication of Crown Towers Perth lies in the detail. Each artwork has been commissioned by Western Australian artists and created specifically for the hotel. Rather than simply hung, the artworks have been set in the walls, embedded as signature design elements.

Singapore-based interior architect Michael Fiebrich, from the firm behind the award-winning Crown Towers Manila, has designed the hotel’s 500 guestrooms, villas and suites spread across 23 floors.

“We’ve let the spaces be clean, architectural and modern so when you walk through those doors everything becomes a beautiful frame for the view,” says Fiebrich.

This was illustrated perfectly in the Premier Club Suite. Occupying 105 square metres, the hotel’s most luxurious suite option is walled by floor-to-ceiling windows offering incredible views of the Swan River and The Great Lawn. Comprising a living area, bedroom and enormous bathroom with an Apasier marble stone tub, the suite is a sophisticated example of architectural design and elegant luxury. Again, the beauty is in the details; in the 300-thread count custom made linen; the local Hippocampus gin stocked in the personal bar and the handmade Koko Black chocolates left on your bedside after turndown.

Sunset was spent sipping champagne on the spectacular 15th-floor terrace that wraps around the Crystal Club. The private lounge, conceived by interior designer and architect Blainey North, breathes exclusivity offering guests private check-in, complimentary breakfast, and all-day snacks and canapés.

While the hotel’s signature restaurant is yet to be announced, restaurant Epicurean more than holds its own as the main on-site dining venue. A gourmet buffet features live cooking stations and serves everything from salads, sushi and seafood to Asian cuisine and the tastiest dhal I’ve ever eaten. This spread is almost outshone by the dedicated dessert section – a Willy Wonka-esque candy store with a gelati bar, towering chocolate fountain, decadent cakes, and drawers filled with dainty petit fours. It’s every child’s dream – and every adult’s dream too, even if they won’t admit it.

Also the work of North, the Crown Spa is a tranquil retreat inspired by the refraction of light underwater and the clean white and blue colour scheme has an immediate calming effect. Guests are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled treatment to allow time to relax in the Aqua Spa Retreat. Soaking in the heated vitality pool beneath a magnificent chandelier, this half hour passed far too quickly.

Treatments comprise a range of La Prairie body treatments available exclusively to Crown Spa. The signature hot stone massage is concluded with a luxe soufflé body cream massage so relaxing that I floated out of that treatment room and headed straight to multi-tiered pool area for an afternoon in The Enclave. Comprised of a private infinity pool heated perfectly to 30 degrees Celsius and luxurious cabanas stocked with a mini bar, fruit platter, plasma TV and dedicated area host delivering drinks poolside, this was the perfect place to spend a 40 degree Perth afternoon.

In Fiebrich’s words, Crown Towers Perth is “simple yet modern with flourishes of luxury”. My stay proves he is quite right.